The lightning struck first.
It wasn't a bolt—it was a judgment. A titanic column of divine electricity, searing white and blue, surged down from the heavens like a wrathful god's decree. Sarive barely had time to react before it hit.
Boom.
The ground fractured. The floating isles of the Veil trembled. Space cracked at the edges.
And when the light cleared, Sarive stood in a crater of molten stone, smoke curling from his suit, gold energy still flickering across his chest. His eyes burned brighter now—paler, colder, deeper.
Zeus's gaze narrowed. "You should be dust."
Sarive stepped forward, slowly. The air rippled with pressure.
"That's the thing about mortals," he said. "We don't break as easy as you think."
Zeus raised his hand again, summoning another storm. The skies bled thunderclouds and fire. His armor glowed with divine power. Around them, the remains of his vanguard circled, wary. Watching. Waiting.
Diana moved to Sarive's side, her sword drawn, glowing with celestial fire. "Be careful. He's not like the others."
"Good," Sarive said, flexing his hands. "Neither am I."
And then he ran.
Faster than sound. Faster than sight.
He was on Zeus in less than a heartbeat, fists crackling with energy. The first punch collided with divine armor and sent out a shockwave that ripped open the sky. Zeus staggered—only slightly—but it was enough.
Diana followed with a strike of her own, sword slashing across the god's chest, drawing ichor that shimmered gold and blue.
Zeus roared.
"Insolent child!"
He raised both hands and unleashed a wave of pure divine fury—lightning, force, time distortion, and fire fused into one. It swallowed the battlefield. Dimensions blinked out of sync. Realities twisted.
Sarive's scream echoed through it all—but not in pain.
In awakening.
Elsewhere...
Hope sat cross-legged in the air, suspended above a floating altar of cracked marble. Her hands trembled. Energy bled from her skin like starlight, rising and falling with each breath.
She felt everything.
She felt Sarive's pain. His resolve. The moment his fear gave way to something greater.
The power within her pulsed in response. Not violently. Not angrily.
But protectively.
Like it knew he needed her.
"I'm not a weapon," she whispered."I'm... a part of him. And he's a part of me."
And then the golden symbols returned—spiraling around her, glowing brighter, singing in voices only she could hear.
The Energy of Gods reached out.
Back in the Veil...
Lightning hit Sarive again, this time square in the chest.
He dropped to one knee, smoke rising from his skin. His vision blurred. But as Zeus approached, spear in hand, ready to end it—
The world stopped.
Time slowed.
And Sarive heard her.
Hope's voice. Clear. Steady.
"Don't let him win."
In that instant, Sarive's body ignited—not with flame, but with golden light.
The veins of his arms and neck glowed. The panther emblem on his chest flared, becoming a radiant sigil that pulsed with life. The skull on his shoulder shifted, becoming something regal—no longer a mark of death, but of judgment.
"What is this?" Zeus growled, drawing back.
Sarive rose to his feet, slowly. The air around him shimmered like a dream.
And for the first time, the universe spoke back to the gods:
"This is not your war anymore."
Sarive lifted his hand—and the divine lightning that had once crushed mountains curled around his fingers like a tame serpent.
He clenched his fist.
Boom.
A golden shockwave exploded from him, hurling Zeus backward across the sky. The remaining angels scattered like feathers. The Veil trembled—but held.
Diana stood motionless, watching him. Awe in her eyes. Not fear. Not concern. Just... belief.
"Your power," she said softly, "it's not just strength. It's connection. You're drawing from her."
Sarive looked down at his hands, breathing hard. "Hope."
Diana nodded. "She's reaching out. And so are you."
At the Edge of the Veil...
Zeus hovered above, wounded but livid, his pride cut deeper than his flesh.
"This is not the end," he spat, vanishing into thunderclouds. "You protect a threat to creation. The Pantheon will not stand down."
His forces retreated with him, leaving the skies quiet once more.
Sarive dropped to his knees, exhausted, sweat dripping from his brow. Diana helped him up.
"You held your own," she said. "Against Zeus. That's no small thing."
Sarive tried to smile. "I still like soccer better."
She laughed—just once—but it was real.
Later, beneath the stars...
Sarive stood alone on a cliff edge, overlooking the infinite folds of the multiverse. He stared into the cosmic sea, hands clenched.
A soft breeze stirred, and Diana joined him.
"You feel it too," she said.
He nodded.
"The gods won't stop. Not after this."
She placed a hand on his shoulder. "Then we won't stop either."
He turned to her. His voice was quiet.
"What if I fail her?"
She looked into his glowing eyes.
"Then we fail together. But I don't believe you will."
Far away, Hope smiled again, her fingers curled over her heart.
"He's not just my protector," she said to the stars."He's my family."